Marcus Didius Falco, a private investigator in ancient Rome, who lives in a dingy apartment, has a weird set of relatives who like to interfere, and who never makes enough money. One very hot day, he encounters a girl from a wealthy family, who is being determinedly persued by a couple of thugs.

Falco himself, a curly-haired, happy-go-lucky fellow, who gets into hilarious and/or dangerous situations, usually managing to extricate himself and solve the case, yet doesn't come out as quite the clear winner he'd like to be.

Read it again, to enjoy it once more and to find more good bits.

That I wished I could visit ancient Rome. Falco et al seemed to step out of the pages of the book as living, feeling, breathing people.

Must have done her research into ancient Rome, and also has a good insight into human nature and relationships. She has written about thirteen Falco books, of which this is the first.

It opens up a different time and different society, and peoples it with engaging characters. It's easy reading, and yet has a depth in it that allows you to read it over again and still get more from it.

Sometimes I felt sorry for Falco, having a mother like that!

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Created Jan 11, 2002 at 8:18pm • Submit your own review...